FAA administrator: Boeing needs ‘a fundamental cultural shift’

A year after a door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX midflight, a Federal Aviation Administration official says the company is in need of “a fundamental cultural shift … oriented around safety and quality above profits.”

A Thursday blog by FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker detailed how the federal agency responded after the incident, including the ensuing investigation, as well as the resulting oversight and safety protocol changes at Boeing.

On Friday, Boeing issued a news release on the company’s Safety and Quality Plan, which focused on “investing in workforce training, simplifying plans and processes, eliminating defects, and elevating our safety and quality culture.”

Alaska Airlines flight 1282 left Portland International Airport on Jan. 5, 2024, headed for Ontario, California. Shortly after takeoff, a door panel blew out, causing the plane to rapidly depressurize. The aircraft returned to Portland for an emergency landing. All 171 passengers and six crew members survived, with a few passengers treated for minor injuries.

Dozens who were on board have filed lawsuits against Boeing, Alaska Airlines and Spirit AeroSystems.

The FAA grounded all Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft operated by U.S. airlines and Boeing halted production of the Boeing 737 MAX at its facility in Renton, Wash.

A month after the incident, a National Transportation Safety Board report concluded that four bolts securing the door plug were missing. The bolts had not been replaced after repairs.

The FAA sent inspectors to production facilities and conducted an in-depth audit of the production line, simultaneously ordering Boeing “to develop a comprehensive plan to fix its systemic production quality problems,” Whitaker noted in his blog.

Soon after the incident, the FAA also emphasized an employee whistleblower hotline.

“Because of our work, we received a surge in employee safety reports during the past year, and that’s encouraging,” Whitaker continued. “An increase in reports – whether at a manufacturer, an airline or at the FAA – can be one sign of a healthy safety culture.

Boeing outlined steps it has taken since the incident in a news release emailed to The Center Square.

Investments in workforce training include “mandatory Product Safety and Quality Training for all employees, strengthened training for mechanics and quality inspectors with an enhanced support system, including workplace coaches, peer trainers, and skill enhancement centers, and the addition of hundreds of hours of new curriculum to training programs.”

Close oversight by the FAA continues, according to Whitaker.

“This is not a one-year project,” he wrote. “What’s needed is a fundamental cultural shift at Boeing that’s oriented around safety and quality above profits. That will require sustained effort and commitment from Boeing, and unwavering scrutiny on our part.”

Last year was costly for Boeing in other ways, too. Company machinists went on strike in a contract dispute that lasted more than 50 days, idling the aerospace giant’s aircraft production.

As reported by The Center Square, the offer ultimately accepted by striking members included a 38% general wage increase over four years, a $12,000 ratification payment, and an annual bonus incentive plan with a guaranteed minimum payout of 4%.

During the strike, Boeing also announced plans to lay off 10% of its workforce, which amounts to some 17,000 employees. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said the strike was not to blame for the layoffs, but rather the result of overstaffing.